Year in Review

2025

Meeting the Moment... for 110 Years

There is a lot of talk these days about “meeting the moment.” No surprise, because it is, well, a real “moment.” 

Deep division—locally, nationally, around the world. Crippling funding cuts. Nearly every nonprofit we serve is rethinking how to meet growing needs with fewer resources. Our fundholders are stepping up in response but also know they can’t replace the massive loss of public funds.  

In this unprecedented moment, the Minneapolis Foundation is taking unprecedented action. In 2024-2025, we awarded $129 million in grants—more than double what we gave a decade ago and a record we have already broken again, with three months left in our current fiscal year. We formed powerful partnerships with foundations in Minnesota and around the country. Knowing no one can solve today’s challenges alone, we dramatically increased our collective giving and convening.  

We crafted unique strategies to meet unique challenges of this unique moment. Which is what we have been doing for 110 years.  

The Minneapolis Foundation, one of the first community foundations in the world, was established to be a permanent civic partner equipped to meet the unique needs of the moment. You saw that in recent years with our response to Covid and the murder of George Floyd. Over the years, we have been there to help the community respond when the I-35W bridge collapsed, and when tornadoes ripped through North Minneapolis. We helped fund school desegregation in the ’70s, the response to the AIDS crisis in the ’80s, and efforts to welcome new Somali neighbors in the ’90s. 

Each of those responses, and responses to thousands of other needs, have been unique and grounded in our partnerships with the communities we serve.  

It seems the toughest question to answer these days is, “What’s next?” 

It’s an impossible question to answer, but we can say one thing for sure: Whatever “moment” is next, the Minneapolis Foundation will be there to help. 

R.T. Rybak,
President and CEO

Then and Now

The Minneapolis Foundation was created to strengthen our community. As local needs emerge and evolve, we respond—nimbly and in partnership with others. What does that look like in practice? Swipe through a few snapshots from our history: 

  • A black and white photo of a woman sitting on a wooden bridge in a natural outdoor setting, smiling at the camera. She is dressed in vintage clothing, including a long skirt, a jacket, and a scarf. She is holding a small bouquet of flowers in one hand and has gloves on. The background contains trees and foliage.

    Protecting Our Natural Resources

    THEN

    In 1924, conservationist Frances Andrews helped secure federal protection of northern woods and wetlands that eventually became the Boundary Waters.  

    NOW

    Today, her legacy continues through a fund at the Foundation—and our investments in a healthy planet continue through our Climate Action and Racial Equity grants and Great Lakes Thriving Communities program.  

  • A black and white photo of a naval battle scene with warships on fire and billowing dark smoke, the water in the foreground reflecting the chaos.

    Responding Nimbly

    THEN

    After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, we responded quickly, approving a grant to the American Red Cross Emergency Fund.  

    NOW

    Today, we continue to muster community resources in moments of crisis, from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to the North Minneapolis tornado in 2011 to this year’s tragic school shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

  • Downtown Minneapolis 1960

    Providing Equal Opportunity

    THEN

    In 1969, a group of Twin Cities donors joined forces with the Minneapolis Foundation to help people from low-income communities of color buy homes and start businesses through the Minneapolis Equal Opportunity Fund.  

    NOW

    Today, our commitment to economic equity continues through our Economic Mobility grants as well as partnerships like the GroundBreak Coalition. 

  • A black-and-white photograph showing three men in suits in a formal setting, with a microphone on a stand. The man in the center, Henry S. Kingman Jr., presents a check for $25,000 from the Minneapolis Foundation to the chairman of the Minneapolis School Board, W. Harry Davis, who is on the left. Elmer Childress, representing the Minneapolis Urban League, is on the right. The image is part of a bulletin from MPLS Public Schools dated October 27, 1972, with a caption and a headline "AID Will Help Students Find Jobs".

    Expanding Career Pathways

    THEN

    In 1972, we supported a program led by Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Urban League to offer job orientation and placement to high school seniors who didn’t plan to attend college.  

    NOW

    Today, our commitment to students as they make the transition from schools to the workforce continues through our Reimagine Education grants and special projects like our 2025 report, “Paving the Way to Prosperity.” 

  • Black-and-white photo of a woman with light skin wearing a wide-brimmed hat, holding a cigarette, and standing outdoors. She has short hair and is dressed in a dark jacket and patterned blouse. A person with darker skin and a patterned hat is seated beside her, partially visible.

    Creating Meaningful Legacies

    THEN

    Emma Howe was an early employee of Deluxe Check Printers who quietly built an extraordinary legacy through stock ownership and frugal living. When she died in 1984, she left much of her estate to benefit the community through a fund at the Minneapolis Foundation. 

    NOW

    Today, we continue to steward charitable plans made by fundholders like Bob Jones, whose legacy lives on through recent gifts like a $3 million commitment to Children’s Minnesota. 

  • IRA giving circle donor

    Giving More, Together

    THEN

    In 2010, we launched Fourth Generation, a giving circle of rising leaders who learn about local needs and pool their resources to meet them.  

    NOW

    We continue to host giving circles like Fourth Generation and BMPP, and our work to foster collective giving has expanded to include a new giving circle for donors with IRAs, pop-up giving circles like our 2025 event supporting Minnesota’s immigrant communities, and more.

As a community foundation, responsiveness is core to who we are. See how that value comes to life in our Fund for Safe Communities.

Our Mission
in Action

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities.

We create intersections in civic life that foster a community of organizations and people who listen, learn, and take action to address pressing needs. 

We support people and businesses as they express their generosity—personally, collectively, and across generations. 

And we invest in community-shaped solutions, using every tool and resource available to us.   

Our Impact Levers

  • Three women gathered around a picnic table outdoors in a park, looking at papers and booklets. The scene is sunny with green trees in the background.

    Grantmaking

    ###

    Through endowed resources, we make grants that advance equity and justice in three focus areas: Education, economic mobility, and the environment. And through the 1,500+ charitable funds we administer, our fundholders support an array of causes in Minnesota and around the world. Our 2025 highlights include:

    Education

    We awarded $1.2 million to 30 schools and organizations advancing a more equitable K-12 education system. These grants supported Minnesota schools with literacy training and resources as they implement the READ Act, strengthened school leadership and educator career pathways, and elevated student and family voices in decision-making. 

    Economic Mobility

    We invested $3.4 million in 50 local organizations working to transform the systems that shape economic opportunity. Through policy advocacy, civic participation, and organizing, these partners are building pathways to generational wealth in communities of color. Together, we strengthen systems and practices that close wealth gaps and create lasting community stability. 

    Environment

    We continued to administer grants through a $60 million federally funded program supporting environmental and public health projects across a six-state region. The Great Lakes Thriving Communities grant program empowers local communities to address priorities that matter most to them, from increasing access to healthy food to clean air and water. In addition, we fueled hyper-local action for sustainability through a dozen grants from the Climate Action and Racial Equity Fund. 

    Fundholder Giving

    We work with more than 1,500 individuals, families, and businesses to help turn their values into meaningful action. By connecting our fundholders and their advisors with community insight, learning opportunities, and philanthropic tools, we help expand what’s possible, in Minnesota and beyond.

  • A smiling older woman with short gray hair wearing large round blue glasses, earrings, and a black top, sitting in a well-lit indoor space.

    Co-Investing

    ###

    We connect fundholders with others who share their passions, host giving circles, and steward collective impact funds that allow people across our community to join forces for good. 

    We believe that together, we can do more. One way the Minneapolis Foundation brings this value to life is by hosting a growing number of giving circles. In 2025, we launched a giving circle for fundholders and community members with Individual Retirement Accounts. Participants learned together, shared perspectives, and made collective decisions about where their IRA distributions could make the biggest impact. Together, they recommended $34,000 in grants to local education organizations.

  • Convenings

    ###

    We create learning opportunities and gatherings that bring fundholders and community members together with local organizations and leaders. These spaces center the voices of those most affected by critical issues and elevate community-driven solutions.

    In 2025, our events ranged from large public convenings like the Minnesota Meeting to intimate gatherings for fundholders with shared interests. As the nonprofit sector navigated funding and policy uncertainty, we also offered timely workshops and learning opportunities, from a panel on strategic sunsetting to a new interview series, The State of Nonprofits.

    View our 2025 event playlist.

  • A man kneeling on the floor and a young boy sitting on a rug inside a house. The man is holding a paint spatula and appears to be fixing a wall. The boy is playing with a small toy car.

    Impact Investing

    ###

    We connect fundholders and other donors with opportunities to invest charitable assets in ways that drive positive change.

    In 2025, we deepened our partnership with the GroundBreak Coalition. This collaboration of 40+ private, public, and philanthropic organizations is mobilizing $5.4 billion over 10 years to build a new financial system that changes how and where money flows in our region. The Minneapolis Foundation supports GroundBreak not only as a coalition leader and investor, but also by opening pathways for individual donors to contribute through grants and impact investments. Together, we are expanding access to capital for homebuyers and entrepreneurs and strengthening our regional economy.

  • Group of seven people posing indoors, standing close together, smiling. They are dressed in casual and semi-formal clothing, with some wearing name tags.

    Family Philanthropy

    ###

    We offer tools and resources to help families connect across generations, explore shared values, and build meaningful legacies.

    In 2025, two fundholder couples joined us at the Community Foundations Family Philanthropy Network Workshop to share reflections on the joys and complexities of family giving. Christopher and Sheila Jones and Colin and Wendy Smith shared stories and examples of how they work with their Philanthropic Advisor, Amy Pfarr Walker, to live out their values and engage their children in giving together. 

  • Advocacy

    ###

    We advocate at the State Capitol and other levels of government for policies and public investments that strengthen our community.

    Our 2025 legislative agenda focused on education, economic mobility, and protecting our democracy. Notably, it called for an important public investment in racial equity and regional prosperity through a collaborative strategy led by the GroundBreak Coalition.

  • A young person with dark hair in a green hoodie holding a Canon camera with a mounted microphone, making a peace sign gesture indoors.

    Research

    ###

    We commission research and publish reports on issues shaping our shared future.

    In 2025, we released “Paving the Way to Prosperity,” a report examining career pathway programs that support youth in gaining work experience, building skills, cultivating mentors, and earning credentials. The report focuses on programs serving young people in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the western suburbs, and includes recommendations for philanthropy, employers, government, and other stakeholders to strengthen and scale what works. 

  • People at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, holding a large pair of scissors to cut the red ribbon marked 'Auntie Anne's'.

    Strategic Partnerships

    ###

    We collaborate with cross-sector leaders and organizations, in Minnesota and across the country, to advance shared goals.

    In 2025, we coordinated with philanthropic peers nationwide to protect the freedom to give. We also continued to administer $29.5 million in state-funded Main Street Economic Revitalization grants, working alongside Propel Nonprofits, LISC Twin Cities, and the Metropolitan Economic Development Association. In addition, we worked with partners regionally and nationally to defend the Great Lakes Thriving Communities grant program in court, protecting federal funding for community-led environmental and public health projects.

We partner with others to invest in community-led solutions. See how that value comes to life through one of our Main Street Economic Revitalization grants.

Responsive
by Design 

Our investments reflect both the urgency of this time and the values that guide our work. Our Strategic Framework calls for us to be bold, optimistic, and responsive to the voices of those most affected by challenges in our community. We believe that change is personal and civic participation is powerful. And we believe that creating a more equitable community is a responsibility we all share. 

Three ways we brought these values to life in 2025 include adapting our grantmaking, convening our community, and giving together.

We adapted our grantmaking.

Three people sitting at a table in a discussion, with a man in a lavender shirt and glasses smiling, and two women, one in blue and the other in a patterned top, engaged in conversation.

We invested $1 million in courageous nonprofit leaders through our new Building Forward Fund. Ten local organizations each received $100,000 to support bold, strategic pivots amid rapid change. Grant decisions were guided by a cross-sector advisory committee of 11 local leaders to keep these investments rooted in community priorities.

A man in a light gray blazer and checkered shirt smiling at a group meeting or panel discussion, with other people seated around a table.

We updated our Economic Mobility grant guidelines to offer greater flexibility and help nonprofit partners build capacity as the landscape changes.

Two women engaged in a conversation at a social gathering, with the woman on the right smiling warmly.

The WCA Foundation, a Signature Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation supporting organizations that serve women, supplemented its annual grants with special “meet the moment” funding to help partners navigate today’s volatile climate. 

“We wanted to do something to support our partners in a time of tremendous uncertainty and complexity.” 

— Stacey Royal
Advisory Board Chair
WCA Foundation

We convened our community.

A woman stands at a podium with a microphone, smiling, wearing a yellow jacket, during a conference or event. There are people seated in the background.

We gathered local and national leaders to explore the future of Minnesota’s news ecosystem. The 2025 Minnesota Meeting drew more than 250 community members for a closer look at the challenges, the opportunities, and how we can work together to sustain trusted local journalism.

Five women sitting on a stage, participating in a panel discussion, smiling and holding microphones, with a flower arrangement in the background.

We created space for nonprofits and donors to engage with tough, necessary topics. As funding cuts push many organizations to question their long-term sustainability, we hosted a gathering on strategic sunsetting. Leaders from Haven Housing shared how they responded with courage and care in the face of an unsustainable operating model—and how doing so enabled them to continue much-needed services.

Two people in business attire standing in an office, smiling at the camera.

We also launched “The State of Nonprofits,” a video series that brings our community closer to Minnesota leaders navigating rapid change. Beginning with a conversation featuring Nonoko Sato of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and Philanthropic Advisor Amy Pfarr Walker, the series offers timely perspectives to help fundholders give with confidence and impact.

We gave together.

A tall radio tower painted red and white, extending into a blue sky filled with scattered small clouds.

We deployed the OneMPLS Fund in response to public media funding cuts. This collective fund enables people and businesses to pool their resources and respond together to emerging needs. In 2025, we made a $75,000 OneMPLS grant to Save the Signal Minnesota, an initiative led by Press Forward Minnesota as it works to re-center local journalism as a vital force for community connection, civic participation, and government accountability. 

Two men in suits sitting and smiling, one holding a microphone and the other holding a rolled-up document, at a professional event or conference.

We convened a pop-up giving circle focused on immigration. Participants heard from local experts at The Advocates for Human Rights and Sahan Journal about how immigrants’ rights and opportunities are being threatened, then pooled their resources to make a $15,000 grant to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. 

“This event was educational, inspiring, and so concerning, all at once.”

— Lauri Roberts
Pop-Up Giving Circle Participant
and Fundholder
A memorial with a statue of a woman holding flowers, surrounded by numerous flowers and floral arrangements outside a building with the inscription "This is the house of God and the gate of heaven."

We mustered resources after the August 27 mass shooting at Church of the Annunciation. That same day, we set up a text-to-give fund for people across our community to support relief efforts led by our peers at the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota. Together with fundholder and corporate contributions, we raised $319,000 to support Annunciation students and families.

Group of people posing for a photo outside in front of a large sign with motivational messages, some wearing Minnesota Twins baseball jerseys and caps.

We launched a public campaign to encourage more giving. Nationwide, over $250 billion sits in Donor Advised Funds—and those resources are not reaching communities fast enough. Our Give Advised campaign urges Donor Advised Fund holders to get off those assets and move charitable dollars where they’re urgently needed: Out in the community.

Giving Spotlight

Man in a gray blazer smiling, standing indoors near a glass block wall.

“The work isn’t always easy, mentally or emotionally, but doing it together is what turns that hard work into something magical.”

– Chas Kennedy
Giving Circle Member
SEE HOW THE GROUP GIVES TOGETHER

By the Numbers

Our collective impact is growing. Get a closer look at the resources we distributed during our 2024-2025 fiscal year. 

grants awarded...

…totaling nearly

$129M

That’s more than

2X

what we gave 10 years ago and a new record in our 110-year history.

charitable funds administered

organizations and
people supported

74%

of giving went to
Minnesota-based organizations

Giving Spotlight

A woman with dark brown hair styled in soft waves, wearing a yellow blazer, earrings, and a necklace, smiling in a professional setting.

“I like getting in at the ground level to see how things operate, to see if it’s something I can advocate for.”

– Jenny Verner
Fundholder
READ HER STORY

We hosted

31

events and convenings

welcoming

guests

featuring

44

speakers

covering

11

topics facing our community.

95%

of attendees said our events helped them better understand the issue at hand.

90%

made at least one new connection.

Giving Spotlight

An elderly woman with short gray hair smiling, wearing a gray Patagonia jacket and a black shirt inside a building with large windows.

“I just want to do my part for my community.”

– Elisabeth Bennett
Fundholder
SEE HOW SHE APPROACHES HER GIVING

Thank You

We are deeply grateful to the fundholders, grant partners, and changemakers who power our work. Your generosity and commitment strengthen our community every day. 

We look forward to your continued partnership in 2026 as we pursue our mission of realizing strong, vibrant communities.